A variety of card storage systems for storing collectible cards in envelopes or pockets to protect the cards from dust, dirt and physical damage are found in the prior art. They are typically made of a transparent plastic such as polyethylene for ready viewing and identification of the cards they contain and are often arranged as pockets on a sheet or page that can be held in bound or loose leaf or other types of binders. However, the cards the corners, edges, and face surfaces; of the collectible cards are subject to damage during the storage processes of insertion and extraction into and from the protective envelopes or pockets. The limited pocket size and general nature of clear plastic pages can cause inadvertent damage when manually inserting or extracting cards from pockets. Manual insertion and insertion can sometimes be very difficult and frustrating as well as time consuming, which can increase the chance of bending or nicking a corner and creasing or tearing a trading card. This can cause a great decrease in the value of a collectible card; for example a damaged corner or edge can result in a 50 percent reduction in the value of a collectible card. Therefore, there has been a need for a means to insert and extract the cards in and from the envelope without damaging its edges or corners.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,964, by Baker et al., proposes a cover in the form of tong like tool to protect the cards (only during the insertion process) in the form of a tool having two substantially parallel flexible panels having widths shorter than the envelope width and being resiliently spaced from each other at their free ends. The card may be grasped between the panels for insertion into the envelope and notches are provided in the free ends of the panel to permit gripping the card between the walls of the envelope when the tool is withdrawn. The Baker tool must be loaded with a card and does not provide for the extraction of the card. Its tong like design presents a very thick edge to the opening of the pockets which makes it somewhat difficult to spread apart and open the pockets particularly in the case of tighter fitting pockets made of thinner plastic or polyethylene.
Another problem associated with using plastic such as polyethylene pockets is that the collectible cards may become stuck to the front or back sides of the pocket and a safe means to remove the card is required in order to prevent or reduce as much as possible the amount of damage to the card.